Flexible track



Ju1y14,1942. WAYNE 2,290,109

FLEXIBLE TRACK Filed Nov'. 21, 1939 22 1319 23 2420 f Jil-1 l caerse pitch refe-nefs .my i4, 1942 nobel-s mme, Arron, omdessigmr i The n. r.-

New York, N. Y., a. corpoch company, ration or New York Application November 2l, 193,9, Serial No. 365.*592 A @am (Cl. 305-) This invention relates tractors and other track type.

In the self-laying track type of tractor endless track bands are trained about driving and guide pulleys so that e reach of extends under the pulleys between to emble tracks for .vehicles of the self-laying them and the ground and functions to support the tractor and to transmit the driving forces to the ground. As exibility of support must be provided sind4 the sprockets are of relatively l and not always accurately macliined, contact ofthe sprocket teeth with the driving bars of the track is accompanied by shock and unequeiloeding. s condition which promotes localized strains in the track.

The principal object of the present invention is to distribute suddenly applied stresses along the tension members or" the track and to cushion the members 'so as to prevent breakage oi the members due to localized loading.

Further objects of the invention ere to provide greater flexibility between the driving mechanism and the resilient tread, and to provide security of bonding of the parts other.

Still further objects are to reduce noise and corrosion, to provide improved cmhioning oi the vehicle, to more uniformly distribute. the htrection load, and 'to eliminate lateral deect on.

These and other objects will sppeer from the following description and the accompanying drawing.

@i the drawing Fig. i is a side elevation of a part of the tracrortrack of this invention and one of the drillieg wheels with which it cooperates, other parte being broken away, part of the wheel being broken away to show the track.

rEig. 2 is a plan view of a section of the crock or this invention in one of its forms, ports being oroken array and ports shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a. section taken along the line 3--53 of Fig. 2. v

iig. d isa cross-section of'the track end wheel taken on line Q of Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a. view like Fig. fi but showing a modified construction. t

Fig. 6 is a plan view, with parts broken away, of tle trfsction cables and their Wrapping, of the cons rue ion of Fig. 5, before application of h rubber body. t e Fig. 'I is a. cross sectional view similar to Fig. 4

owing a further modication of the inventiom to each.

ieri-ed to herein as rubber-like materials.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l@ designates one of the drivingwheels of a. tractor or other vehicle of the self-laying track type about which the exible track Il is engaged.

The wheel is formed of a. pair of discs I2, I3 secured together to provide a. 'track bearing face id of broad extent, a track-guiding groove i5 at its center, and sprocket teeth i6, ll at its mar-` sins to engage Vthe track in driving relation thereto.

In the form of my invention illustratedv in Figs. 5 and 6, the track comprises a plurality of spaced convolutions of load transmitting cable i8 completely embedded in and enclosed by an endless treed band l-of resilient wear-resistingr rubber-like material such-as vulcanized rubber composition or compositions of similar rubberlike materials such as polymerized vinyl chloride compositions end mixtures thereof, neoprene compositions, polymerized olene polysulphide compositions, and polymers of butadiene, and the like, including mixtures thereof generally re- To distribute forces along the cables and to provide an edective bonding ofthe rubber-like materiels` to the cables which are generally of steel or other motel, and to eilect accurate positioning thereof, a layer of rubberized fabric or cords lll is wrapped about the spaced convolutions of cable. preferably by applying a tape-like band of ,cords es es helicslly disposed wrapping thereabout as shown in IFig. 6. The fabric or cord material adheres to the cable and is pressedtogether bea tween the convolutions thereof so as to provide goed contact about eech convolution and to eliminate the presence of voids between the cables. The cables may be additionally prepared in any desired manner for bonding them to the rubber as by coatings of rubber adherent metal or cements applied'thereto, although the Wrapping of cords or fabric alone' provides suiiicient traction. The rubber-like material of the body or treed band i@ is molded about the cables and their cord or fabric wrappings and to driving bars Se spaced therealong, the rubber-like material being bonded to the driving bars by vulcanization. In this form of the invention, maximum cushioning is attained between the cables and the driving bars together with positive' driving and guiding of the track.

To provide additionally for 'distribution of forces and for positive spacing of the cable con- A volutions, and to provide for further securing the cables to driving means, metallic bands 2l may be clamped about the spaced convolutions at spaced positions along the cables, as shown in Fig. '7. These bands extend across the pulley engaging face f the cables and their cord wrappings and may have their ends folded inwardly about the group of cables and secured as by rivets 22, the ends preferably being corrugated as at 23 to provide half round grooves to receive and embrace each cable convolution to hold the convolutions in proper spaced relation.

If desired, the wrapping of cords 2B may be omitted as in Figs. 2 to 4 and the bands 2| alone employed for distribution of forces and for-holding the cables in spaced relation. In either the construction of Fig. 4 or that of Fig. 7, the rubber-like material extends around each cable convolution within the corrugations of the bands as at 24 so asto cushion each cable convolution with respect to the metal band. The rubber tread I9 is applied about the cable convolutions and spacing bands so as completely to enclose the cable and to expose the at portions of the spacing bands 2| at the wheel contacting face thereof. The bands 2i are equally spaced and correspond in spacing to the pitch of the driving teeth of the wheels. Over the center of each spacing band, the rubber-like material is formed to provide a guiding lug 25 integral (with the tread. These lugs are of pyramidal shape to conform to the guiding groove i of the Wheel.

To provide for driving the track a plurality of driving bars 26 corresponding usually in number to the bands 2i are provided. These'bars have a hump 26a formed at their centers to span the lugs 25 and form a metal facing therefor. Their ends 2l, 28, projecting beyond the rubber tread, are formed to engage the teeth of the wheel l0. Each driving bar 26 is secured to the exposed face of s. band 2i as by welding 29, 30 or other fastening means.

The driving bars 2G may be Welded to the bands 2| before these are secured about the cables, in

which case the rubber composition may be molded about the metal parts with the upper surface and the ends of the bars exposed, the rubber-like material being preferably bonded to the metal bars by a, vulcanized bond.

Variations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as it is defined by the following claims.

I claim: I

1. A self-laying track comprising a plurality of flexible metal tension members in parallel spacedapart relation, a wrapping of rubberized textile material thereabout, a resilient body of rubber-like material completely enclosing the tension members and their wrapping of textile material, and a metal driving bar attached to said resilient body by a vulcanized bond.

2. A self-laying track comprising a flexible metal tension member, a helical winding of cord ber-like material, a

thereabout, a resilient body of rubber-like material completely enclosing said winding. and a metal driving bar attached to said body by a vulcanized bond.

3. A self-laying track comprising a plurality o! flexible metal tension members in parallel spacedapart relation, metal'bands extending about the tension members at spaced intervals and separated therefrom by resilient rubber-like material, a resilient body of rubber-like material enclosing said tension members and said bands, and metal driving bars secured to said bands and extending beyond said resilient body.

4. A self-laying track comprising a plurality of exible metal tension members in parallel spaced-apart relation, a wrapping of iiexible binding material about said tension members, metal bands extending about the tension members at spaced intervals, a resilient body of rubber-like material enclosing said tension members and said bands, and metal driving bars secured to said bands and extending beyond said resilient body.

5. A self-laying track comprising a flexible metal tension member, a metal band clamped thereabout but separated from the tension member by a cushion of rubber-like material, a resilient body of rubber-like material partially en` closing said tension member and said band, and a metal driving bar secured tosaid band.

6. A self-laying track comprising a flexible metal tension member, a wrapping of exible binding material about said tension member, a metal band clamped thereabout but separated from the tension member by a cushion of rubresilient body of rubber-like material partially enclosing said tension member and said band, and a metal driving bar secured to said band.

7. A flexible track comprising at least one nexible tension member, a body of resilient rubberlike material enclosing said member, drive-wheel engaging means extending laterally across an exposed face of said body andV separated from said tension member by the resilient material of said body, and flexible stress-distributing means within said body adjacent said tension member and separated therefrom by said resilient material.

8. A flexible track comprising at least one ilexible tension member, a body of resilient rubberlike material enclosing said member, drive-wheel engaging means extending laterally across an exposed face of said body and separated from said tension member by the resilient material of said body, and ileinble stress-distributing means Within said body adjacent said tension member and separated therefrom by said resilient material, said stress-distributing means comprising a band enclosing a portion of said tension member.

ROBERT MAYNE. 

